Lost and Found
by KACULLEN
Summary: Edward tells Bella he doesn't love her and leaves, a minute later Bella realizes he lied and sets out to find him. Takes place in New Moon
1. Lost

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter One: Lost

"_You don't want me?"_

"_No"_

The words played over and over in my mind as I lay on the forest floor and tried to convince myself that this is a nightmare and I will wake up and be in Edward's arms.

Except this isn't nightmare I'm awake and Edward isn't here, he left and he isn't coming back.

I try to hold in the tears as I attempt to make sense of what just happened and what I am going to do now.

Edward said he didn't love me but that doesn't make sense because he has told me he loves me over and over.

I always that it was strange that someone as perfect as Edward could love someone like me but he always told me that I didn't see myself clearly and that he was the one who didn't deserve me.

So what made him change his mind?

After thinking it through for a minute I realized that his brother attacking me is what made him change his mind.

As I was thinking all this through something Edward said to me in one of our first conversations popped into my head.

Edward had said something about him caring more about me than I did about him because he would be able to walk away to keep me safe.

A spark of hope ignited in as I thought about what that could mean.

If I was right this meant that Edward left not because he didn't love but because he was trying to keep me safe.

The instant this thought popped into my head I knew it was true because I knew Edward do anything he had to, to keep me safe and that included leaving me.

I guess when Edward came up with this plan he forgot I am a danger magnet and incapable of staying safe without him there to save me.

The second I realized there was a chance that Edward may still love me the hole that had formed in my chest minutes early started to heal and I was able to stand.

I started to walk through the forest on shaky legs and realized I didn't really know where I was.

When Edward ran away I had tried to run after him and when I realized I couldn't catch him I had collapsed I guess what I didn't realize was I had gotten myself lost.

I kept walking which was probably a dumb thing to do because I was most likely getting myself more lost then I already was.

As I wandered around the woods I tried to think about what I was going to do when once I was free from my tree prison.

I didn't have to think long to come up with a plan; I was going to do whatever I had to, to find Edward.

I kept walking and to my relief the trees started to thin out and the light grew brighter.

When I finally made it out of the trees I realized I was not where I wanted to be at all, I wasn't by my house I was by the highway.

I most definitely didn't want to go back in the wood so I started to walk on the side of the highway in the direction of my house.

I kept my head down while I walked so no one would recognize me because the last thing I needed was for someone to tell Charlie they saw me walking on the side of the highway.

After being whistled at by a guy in a passing car and splashed with water from a car driving through a puddle I decided that walking on the side of the highway was not a good idea.

Thank god a minute later I was able to turn onto a side street and continue on my way.

As I neared my house I prayed Charlie wouldn't be home because I would never be able to leave the house if he was and i would have to explain why I was all wet and muddy.

Luck was on my side because when I got home the only thing in the driveway was my truck so I knew Charlie was still at work.

I knew I didn't have much time so I ran in the house and up to my room as fast as I could without tripping.

I changed into some dry clothes and threw my hair into a pony tail before getting to work.

I found my duffle bag in the closet and shivered a little when I thought about the last I had had to pack this bag.

I knew I had no time to dwell on the past so I quickly ran into my room and threw as many clothes as I could and my bathroom bag into the duffle bag.

As I was running around my room I noticed that the picture with Edward in them, my plane tickets and my CD were missing and I knew Edward must have taken.

I guess he was really trying to make it seem as if he never existed.

Once my duffle bag was packed I dropped on floor and went in search of my purse which I quickly found and filled with my wallet, my hidden stash of cash, and my passport just to be safe.

When I went to pick up my duffle bag I noticed one of my floorboards had moved a little.

I bent down moved my duffle bag out of the way and pried the floorboard out of the floor.

I gasped when I found all the stuff I thought Edward had taken and my heart began to beat faster when I realized he didn't want me to forget him.

I quickly threw the stuff from under the floor board into my duffle bag as well before leaving my room.

I ran down to the kitchen to get my car keys when I realized I should probably leave a note for Charlie.

I got the pad of paper and pencil we keep by the phone and wrote:

_Dad,_

_Edward left and I must go find him, I don't know where he is so I don't know how long I will be gone._

_I don't want you to worry about me; you taught me how to take care of myself so I will be fine._

_Don't hate me for doing this but I cannot live my life without Edward so this is the only choice I have._

_Please don't try to look for me or try to stop me I promise I will call you as soon as I can._

_Bella_

I left the note on the counter and ran out the door and into my truck before Charlie came home and tried to stop me.

I knew where I was headed first and I just hopped then when I got there I would find some clue that would lead me to Edward.

**AN: Sorry for any mistakes! I hope you liked it please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW **


	2. House of Memories

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Two: House of Memories

I drove down the overgrown drive and emerged in the clearing where the huge white house stood.

My heart began to race at the sight of it, and I prayed it would hold the answer to finding Edward and the Cullens.

I quickly pulled into the garage, because I knew that there was a chance Charlie would coming looking for me even though I asked him not to.

This would probably be the first place Charlie would look, so I decided that hiding my car would be a good idea.

I pulled into the garage and noticed all the cars were gone; even Edward's special occasion car was missing.

I got out of my car, shut the garage door, and ran quickly into the house locking the door behind me.

I slowly turned around and faced the living room, where I noticed everything was covered in white sheets.

I stood there by the front door for a few minutes listening to the silence that echoed around the house.

I am not entirely sure what I was listening for, maybe I foolishly hoped Edward would still be here packing or something.

After a few minutes I decided no one was here, which should have been obvious due to lack of cars in the garage, and walked into the living room.

Memories of my disastrous birthday party flooded my mind but I pushed them away because that was exactly what I didn't want to think about right now.

I walked over to the large sheet covered lump that I knew to be Edward's piano and pulled the sheet off.

Just the sight of it and the memories that went with it almost made break down in tears.

I knew in my heart that Edward still loved me but seeing his piano made my heart ache with yearning for him.

I sat down on the piano bench and ran my fingers over the keys; I didn't know how to play anything but just hearing the sound of the piano made me feel closer to Edward.

After sitting there for a few minutes hitting random keys, I decided I had wallowed in my misery long enough.

I stood up and made my way to the stairs slowly because I no longer had someone to catch me if I fell down the stairs.

The first door I came to was Carlisle's office; I silently pushed the door and walked inside the now empty room.

All of Carlisle's book shelves were empty and when I turned around and found all the pictures missing from the wall.

Thinking of the pictures that use to hang on that wall made a whole new round of memories surface in mind.

Memories of Edward explaining the pictures and telling me about Carlisle swirled in my mind but I pushed them away not wanting to distract myself from my mission.

Only one thing remained in the office and that was the computer sitting on Carlisle's desk.

It struck me as odd that Carlisle would leave something as valuable as his computer behind, but then I figured with all his money, he probably bought a new one in whatever town they were in.

I quickly walked out the door and continued down the hallway towards the next door.

I walked past Alice and Jasper's room, but didn't go in, because I was trying my best to block the memories that came with that room.

I shuddered as I thought off the hours I spent in there while Alice played Bella Barbie.

All though I hated to admit it Bella Barbie was sounding pretty good right about now.

I walked right past Emmett and Rosalie's room; I had never been in there and figured now wouldn't be a good time for my first visit.

I walked past a bathroom and then made my way up the stairs to the third floor of the house.

I came to halt at the top of the stairs when I came face to face with Edward's bedroom door.

With shaking hands I pushed the door of the room I had come to love more than my own open.

I walked into the room and pulled the sheet off of Edward's black leather couch so I could sit down.

Once I was sitting I noticed how truly bare the room was and I again had to hold back my tears.

Edward's shelf was empty, his CDs and CD player were gone and through his open closet door I could see that all of his clothes were gone.

When I decided I had stared at the empty room long enough I got up and walked over to Edward's dresser.

Slowly I pulled the drawers open, and discovered that he had left a couple of t-shirts behind which made me ridiculously happy.

I quickly snatched up one of the shirts, held it to my nose, and let Edward's scent wash over.

I knew if anybody saw me right now they would think I was nuts, a teenage girl sitting on the floor smelling a t-shirt.

I however could have cared less because in that moment, with Edward scent around me, I felt safe and confident that I would be able to find him.

Reluctantly I dropped the shirt and walked over to Edward's desk, where I found a photo album in the top drawer.

I flipped threw and noticed most of the pictures were of the Cullens, but there were a few pictures of some vampires I didn't recognize.

What caught my attention was that those other vampire's had gold eyes just like the Cullens.

I took one of the pictures out of the plastic slot and flipped it over to see if Edward had written on it, he had.

_Denali Coven_ was written on the back in Edward's fancy script. I instantly remembered Edward telling me about how he had gone to the Denali coven for help after my first day at school.

My heart started to race again as I realized the Denali coven may be able to help me find Edward.

Even if they didn't know where the Cullen's were maybe they would know how I could get a hold of them.

I was desperate so I ran down the stairs to the second floor, and was suddenly very thankful Carlisle left his computer behind as I searched for the next flight to Alaska.

**AN: Sorry for any mistakes! Oh my god you guys I got 17 reviews for my first chapter, that rocks ! Please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW because I love hearing what you have to say :) **


	3. On My Way

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Three: On My Way

After a few minutes of searching, I discovered that the next flight to Alaska wasn't until the next morning. I decided to wait and buy my ticket when I got to the airport, so I could pay with cash.

I figured writing a check would be dangerous, because there was always a chance that Charlie would call the bank to see if I had written any checks.

I felt much better now that I had a plan, so I decided to go to the kitchen to see if there was any food I could eat for dinner.

Luckily there was still a lit bit of food left in the kitchen from when I would be over here with Edward and need to eat.

I quickly ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and drank a glass of water. When I was finished with my meal I washed my dishes and went back up to Edward's room.

I had my pajamas in my duffle bag but I decided to sleep in Edward's t-shirt instead. I took the shirt into the bathroom, took a shower and then put the t-shirt on before lying down on the couch.

I let Edward's scent wash over me as I drifted off to sleep. It didn't take me long to fall asleep because I had had a long stressful day and I was tired.

I had set the alarm on my phone and I almost threw it across the room when it woke me up the next morning.

Once I realized where I was and why I had to get up, I jumped off the couch and started getting ready for my day.

Quickly I got dressed and repacked my duffle bag, this time adding Edward's t-shirts and the photo album in with my clothes.

After I was dressed I went down stairs and had a piece of peanut butter toast for breakfast, before heading out to my truck.

I got in the truck, threw my stuff in the seat next to me and was on my way to the airport minutes later.

I got to the airport quickly and parked my car in the long term parking area because I didn't know how long I would be gone.

Once I made it inside the airport I walked up to ticket counter and purchased my ticket with a wad of cash I had found in Edward's room.

I felt a little bad about taking the money, but he was the one who always wanted to buy me stuff, so I figured he wouldn't mind.

After going through security I made my way to my terminal which was surprisingly easy to find. I only had to wait about five minutes before the started to board the plane.

As soon I was sitting my seat I realized my luck had run out, because I was stuck between a person talking loudly on their phone, and a woman with a screaming baby.

I sunk down as far as I could in my seat and prayed this flight would go quickly. When were finally in the air, I started to read the magazines the airline provided to distract myself from the noise. It didn't work and I had a major headache by the time the plane landed.

I ran off the plane as soon the flight attendants said we could leave. I made it to baggage claim in record time, and as soon as I had my duffle bag I ran out the door.

Once outside the door I realized I had no idea where the Denali coven lived nor did I know their last name which I assumed was not Denali.

One look in the phone book told me I had assumed correctly, because there was no Denali's listed.

Frustrated and with no other plans I walked into town, which luckily was very close to the airport.

Soon I came upon a small café which I decided to stop at, so I could get my bearings strait and come up with a plan.

I ordered a hot chocolate and went and sat down at a table by a window so I could watch the people go by.

I pulled the photo album out of my duffle bag and began to study the pictures, so I would know what the members of the Denali clan looked like if I saw them.

I took a sip of my hot chocolate, which tasted heavenly and warm as went down my throat, and went back to looking at the pictures.

I figured out that there were four women in the coven and one man, and I had no idea what any of their names were, because Edward just wrote Denali coven on the back of all the pictures.

I went to take another sip of my hot chocolate and glanced out the window when I took my sip. I watched the people go by and froze as a beautiful blonde woman walked by.

The blonde woman looked just like one of the women in the album, so I jumped up and threw my cup away before flying out the door.

I followed her down the street and when she went into a little boutique, I waited by the door, debating with myself about whether or not I should go in.

Just as I was about to go in she came out with a bag on her arm and started to walk back down the street again. I followed her and when I got close enough I tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

The blonde lady flew around and for the first time I noticed her eye, they were gold and my heart hammered with excitement because I knew I had the right person.

"Can I help you" she asked politely.

"I hope so, my name is Bella Swan I am a friend of the Cullen's and I am trying to find them and I am really hoping you can help" I said and noticed her eyes had gone wide.

"You Edward's Bella" the women asked and I blushed and nodded sheepishly.

"So do you think you could help me" I asked again hoping she would say yes.

"Yes of course, come home with me and we can talk to other members in my coven and see if they can help" the blonde woman said sweetly.

"Thank you" I said as we walked to her car "Um what is your name?"

"Tanya" she replied.

**AN: Sorry for any mistakes! Ok you guys I am so sorry I was going to update on Monday but then I got sick, please don't hate me! Also someone asked to be my beta but I have no idea how that works so if could it explain it to me that would be great :) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	4. The Other Coven

**I don't Own Twilight!**

Chapter Four: The Other Coven

Tanya was silent the first few minutes of the drive, which was fine with me because I didn't really know what to say, either. She did keep glancing at me, however, and this creeped me out just a little bit, because I didn't know why she was doing it.

After another few minutes she couldn't take it anymore because she finally blurted out, "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" I asked, the confusion clear in my voice.

"Get Edward to fall in love with you." Tanya said thoughtfully, and I could tell she really wanted to know. I felt bad that I couldn't enlighten her, because I didn't really know the answer myself.

"I don't know." I replied honestly.

"You don't know?" She asked skeptically, and I could tell she didn't believe me.

"No. I still don't understand why someone as perfect as him would fall for someone as average as me." I answered hoping she would drop the subject.

"I don't get it." Tanya said. "You don't understand why he loves you, but you believe he does, even though he left you?"

"I know it sounds messed up, but I really believe he still loves me." I replied.

"Why?" Tanya asked.

"Well, when he left he said he didn't love me, but I think he is really just trying to protect me." I said. I could tell that confused her even more, so I went on. "He also said it would be like he never existed. When I went back to my bedroom, everything I had that reminded me of him was missing. But then, minutes later, I found all the stuff under the floor boards."

"So you think that he really did want you to remember him, because he loves you?" Tanya asked, finally understanding what I was saying.

"Yes I do" I replied.

"What is he trying to protect you from?" Tanya asked curiously.

"Himself." I answered, with a roll of my eyes. "He thinks of himself as a monster, even though I have told him countless times that he is not."

"Yeah, that sounds like Edward." Tanya said, and I saw her roll her eyes, too. "But, why do I get the feeling that there is something else?"

"Well, there was one small thing that happened, with Jasper, which did freak Edward out." I explained, and shuddered as I thought back to that night.

"What happened with Jasper?" Tanya asked.

"He tried to attack me when I got a paper cut at my eighteenth birthday party." I replied with a shrug.

"You call that a _small_ thing?" she retorted, and I could tell she thought I was crazy.

"I knew there would be risks that accompanied hanging out with vampires, so I was kind of expecting something like this to happen. When it did, though, I didn't think it was a big deal because I was expecting it." I tried to explain, praying she would understand.

"Wow. If that's the way you think, then you are braver then I thought you were." Tanya admitted.

"Thanks." I said, hoping it was a compliment.

"You really must love him, if you are willing to take so many risks to be with him." Tanya reasoned.

"I love him more than anything in the world." I said, and I felt a smile appear on my face as I thought about Edward.

"We're here." Tanya said, breaking me out of my Edward trance.

I looked out the window as we pulled up to the Denali coven's house, and I was surprised to see that it looked a lot like the Cullens' house. Tanya was out of the car and on the front porch before I had time to blink, so I followed and ran up the steps to join her.

"You ready?" Tanya asked, with her hand on the doorknob.

"Yes." I replied, and Tanya turned the knob and threw open the door to lead me inside.

"Have a seat on the couch. I am going to run this stuff up to my room and see who is home." Tanya instructed while running up the stairs with her shopping bags.

I sat down on the couch to wait, and suddenly felt really nervous as I realized I was in a house full of vampires I didn't know. Tanya came down the stairs a few minutes later with her entire family in tow, and I was surprised and horrified to find that I recognized one of them.

"Bella, this is my coven." Tanya said, pointing to the vampires behind her. "This is Eleazar, Carmen, Kate, Irina, and Laurent."

"It's nice to see you again, Bella." Laurent said, and I shuddered at the memories his voice brought, which made him laugh. "Bella, you can relax. I will not harm you."

I nodded in understanding, but his words did not comfort me like he thought they would.

"I forgot that you two had met already." Tanya said, and I could tell by everyone's faces that they all knew the story of how Laurent and I had met.

"I want you to know that I really am sorry for everything that happened, Bella." Laurent said.

"I know. I don't blame you for anything, it was James." I replied with a small smile.

I still didn't trust Laurent, but I figured I had better be polite to him anyway.

The Denali coven finally made their way down the staircase, and came to sit in the living room with me.

"Tanya tells us you are trying to find the Cullens." Carmen stated.

"Yes, and I was hoping you guys would be able to help me find them." I replied.

"I wish we could, Bella, but we don't know where they are." Eleazar said, and I could tell he felt bad.

"Do you know of any way I can get in touch with them?" I asked with hope in my voice.

"I am sorry, but they change cell phones so much, it's hard to keep track of their numbers." Carmen said, and now I could tell she felt bad, too.

"That's okay." I said and I could hear the sadness in my voice.

"I do have some good news, though." Eleazar said suddenly.

"What?" I asked with hope in my voice again.

"Alice and Jasper called us yesterday, and said they would be coming to stay with us in a few days." Eleazar said with a smile.

"You are, of course, welcome to stay with us until they arrive." Carmen added.

"Thank you so much." I said happily, because I knew Alice and Jasper would bring me one step closer to Edward.

**AN: Ok first I want to say thank you to my new beta fnmom68 you rock! REVIEW REVIEW REIVEW REIVEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REIEW PLEASE :)**


	5. The Waiting Game

**I don't wn Twilight**

Chapter Five: The Waiting Game

While I waited for Alice and Jasper to arrive, I spent my time getting to know the Denali coven. Tanya and I got along surprisingly well, considering her history with Edward. I learned all about that on the second day of my visit. Tanya wanted to get to know me better, so we decided to have a girls' night.

We were in the living room watching a chick flick and painting each other's nails when Tanya turned to me, a curious look on her face.

"How did you and Edward meet?" she asked.

"We met at school. We were lab partners in biology." I answered.

"Oh" Tanya replied.

"Didn't he tell you this when he came here to get away from me, after my first day at Forks High?" I asked, slightly confused.

"He didn't go into details. He just said that he met his singer, and he had to get away from her." Tanya explained.

"Oh, okay." I said, because I didn't' really know what else to say.

"Did you know that I have tried many times over the years to start a relationship with Edward?" Tanya asked with a grin in my direction.

"No." I said, feeling very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken.

"Yes, but he was never interested. So I just assumed he was meant to be alone for the rest of eternity." Tanya said.

"Really?" I asked, not knowing if I wanted to hear what she was going to say next.

"Yes, but then he met you, and he was happy for the first time in a very long time. So I got over my crush on him, because I knew he had met the girl of his dreams." Tanya said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"Do you hate me?" I asked quietly.

"No, you and Edward are in love, so I am happy for you." Tanya said, and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"Thanks." I said sincerely.

"Of course, I would be happier for you if Edward was actually here." Tanya said with a laugh.

"So would I." I agreed, and couldn't help but laugh with her.

"Don't worry Bella. You will find him and live happily ever after." Tanya said reassuringly.

"I hope so." I replied.

After that, Tanya and I spent the rest of the night talking like old friends. I told her how Edward and I fell in love, and she had me laughing pretty hard with funny stories about the Cullens' past visits.

As much as I loved being with the Denali family, I needed some time to myself to think. So the next day I went for a walk in the woods behind their house, to figure out what I was going to say to Alice and Jasper when they arrived. I was also thinking about my night with Tanya, and how pleased I felt that we were becoming friends.

Edward had once told me not to go into the woods alone, but he was referring to the woods around Forks, and I felt comfortable that I was out here alone. It was hard for me to remember a time when I hated the green and the trees of the woods, because right now they were most peacefully things in the world to me.

I walked in silence until I came to a big tree stump that looked like a good place to stop and rest. I sat down and let the cool breeze hit my face as I listed to the sounds around me. I could hear the rushing water, birds chirping, animals scampering, and the wind rustling. It was all very peaceful, until I heard something I most definitely shouldn't have heard in the middle of the woods.

I heard voices, two of them, one was male and one was female.

I recognized the male voice right away, and even thought I didn't recognize the female voice, I had a sinking feeling I knew who hit belonged to. I tried my best to stay perfectly still as I listened to what they were saying, because I knew it would be a very bad idea to draw attention to myself.

"You're sure no one knows you here?" the female asked.

"I told them I had to hunt." Laurent replied.

"Good." the female said, sounding pleased.

"What do you want, Victoria?" Laurent asked sounding impatient.

I had to hold in my scream as he said the name Victoria, confirming my worst fears.

"I'm looking for that human brat that was hanging out with the Cullens." Victoria said.

"I see." Laurent said.

"Well, I have checked the entire town of Forks, and it seems she has vanished." Victoria continued.

"What does this have to do with me?" Laurent asked.

"Well, I was hoping you might know where she is." Victoria said angrily.

"I heard that the Cullens have also left Forks, so maybe she is with them." Laurent said.

"She's not. I found a note she left for her father, saying she had gone to look for her precious Edward." Victoria said, spitting out Edward's name like it was dirty.

"Why do you think I know where she is?" Laurent asked.

"I just had a feeling that you might know. Call it woman's intuition." Victoria snapped.

"It's possible that she may be staying here with me and the Denali clan." Laurent said.

"Excellent!" Victoria exclaimed, and I could tell that she was pleased. "You can help me get to her, then."

"Why would I do that?" Laurent asked, but I could tell he wasn't displeased by the idea.

"I will share her with you." Victoria said, and I didn't have to see her to know she was smiling.

There was a small pause and I could tell Laurent was thinking it over.

"Fine." Laurent said "We have a deal."

I didn't wait to hear the end of their conversation; I jumped off the log and started running as fast as I could back to the house.

I knew from the moment I saw Laurent that I couldn't trust him, even though he assured me he wouldn't hurt me. I knew if I told the Denali coven what I had heard, they would try to protect me. Even thought I didn't like the thought of them getting hurt because of me, I knew that I didn't have choice.

After tripping a few times, I finally made it to the house. I threw open the door, slammed it shut, and slid down to the floor.

"Bella?" a very familiar voice said in surprise.

**AN: Thanks to my Beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	6. Alice and Jasper

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Six: Alice and Jasper

I looked up from my spot on the floor, and saw Alice Cullen staring at me like I was a ghost. I felt a smile appear on my face, and seconds later Alice had an identical smile on her face.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" Alice asked, and I noticed that she didn't sound unhappy about the fact that I was here.

"I am looking for your bone-headed brother." I said with a smirk.

"Which one?" she asked coyly. "Because honestly, if you ask me, they are both bone-heads." Alice replied, and we both started laughing.

"I am looking for Edward, of course." I answered, once I finally had my laughter under control.

"Good for you, Bella." Alice said. "He was an idiot for making us leave in the first place."

"So, I'm right then? He really does still love me, but he's trying to protect me?" I asked.

"Yes, he still loves you Bella. He is just trying to do what he thinks is right." Alice said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, that's just stupid." I said, causing us to break out in laughter once again. Once our laughter died down, though, something occurred to me. Alice had been surprised when she saw me, but with her power, she should have already known I was here.

"Alice, how come you didn't know I was here until I walked in the door?" I asked.

"Edward made me promise not to look into you future." Alice said, and I could tell she was not happy about his demand.

"Why would he do that?" I asked. "What if I got into some kind of trouble that only you guys could have helped me with, but you didn't see, because you weren't looking?"

"What kind of trouble could you possibly get into that only we would be able to help you with?" Alice asked suspiciously.

"I don't know Alice, but it's _me_ we are talking about here. We both know that I would get into some kind of trouble, eventually." I said, hoping she didn't see my fear as I thought about Victoria and Laurent.

"That's true, but for some reason I think you are already in trouble." Alice replied, and I cursed myself for not being able to hide me emotions.

"It's nothing, Alice." I said. "I just miss Edward, that's all."

"That's bull, and we both know it, Bella. So spill." Alice ordered.

"You don't think I miss Edward?" I asked, hoping to distract her.

"I know you miss Edward, but I think there is something else you are not telling me." she said, while giving me a look that said 'if you don't tell me, then it's Barbie Bella time.'

I don't know why I didn't want to tell Alice about Laurent and Victoria. I guess I was hoping she could tell me where Edward was, and then I would be able to leave before anyone got hurt.

I was about to open my mouth to answer her, when Jasper came down the stairs looking just as shocked as Alice had to see me.

"Hi, Jasper." I said quietly. This was the first time we had seen each other since my disastrous birthday party.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" Jasper asked, still looking surprised.

"She is looking for Edward, because she was smart enough to see through his crap and realize that he still loves her." Alice said before I time to answer.

"Thanks, Alice." I said, sarcastically.

"No problem." she replied sweetly, causing me to roll my eyes.

"I am glad you are trying to find him, Bella. We all told him he was being a fool." Jasper said with a smile.

"Thanks, Jasper." I said while smiling back at him.

"Bella, I am really sorry. I feel like all of this is my fault. If I hadn't lost control at your birthday party, Edward wouldn't have left." Jasper said, and I could feel the guilt he was sending out.

"First, stop with the guilt." I said, and felt calmness wash over me a second later "Thank you. And second, we both know that eventually something would have happened to make Edward overreact like this."

"As true as that may be, I still feel horrible that I was the reason he made us leave you." Jasper said, and I could feel the guilt building again.

"Jasper, I never blamed you. I was never even mad at you for what happened." I explained. "I knew there were risks that went along with hanging out with vampires, so I really wasn't surprised when that happened."

"Thanks, Bella." Jasper said, but I could still feel the guilt.

"Jasper, will you do me a favor?" I asked.

"Sure." He replied.

"Stop blaming yourself for what happened? Because I honestly don't blame you." I pleaded.

"Okay, fine." he agreed, and suddenly the guilt was gone, which made me feel better.

Jasper walked towards me and cautiously wrapped his arms around me in a brotherly hug, and I of course hugged him back. When we broke apart Alice came over and squeezed me in a tight hug.

"We really did miss our little sister." She said, emotionally.

"I missed you guys, too." I said, before Alice wrapped her arms around Jasper and me in a group hug.

"So Bella, how did you track us here, anyway?" Jasper asked when Alice finally released us.

"I went to your house in Forks, and found a photo album in Edwards drawer." I explained. "He had written 'Denali clan' on the back of the pictures, and I remembered him talking about coming here after my first day at school."

Alice had this all-knowing look on her face when I explained about the album, but I chose to ignore it and move on.

"I caught the next flight to Alaska, but when I got here I realized I had no idea where the coven lived. By sheer dumb luck I ran into Tanya, and she brought me here." I continued. "Once I was here, they told me that the two of you would be here in a few days, and that I was welcome to stay until you arrived."

"Wow, I am impressed." Alice said.

"Me, too." Jasper added.

After a few moments of silence, I decided to ask the question I had been dying to ask since I heard Alice say my name when I walked in the door.

"So, do you guys know where Edward is?"

**AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	7. Delayed

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Seven: Delayed

"Do you know where Edward is?" I repeated, because I didn't get an answer the first time I asked.

Alice and Jasper glanced at each other before Alice finally turned and faced me.

"No," Alice said quietly. She looked like she was worried I might hurt her even though there is no way I possibly could.

"What?!" I yelled louder then I actually meant to.

"Well, he was with Carlisle and Esme, but now he is on the run. He hasn't decided on his destination yet, so I can't see where he going to go," Alice explained in a rush.

"Do you think he is in trouble and he is running from something?" I asked, hoping that wasn't the case.

"No, it looks more like he is trying to find something," Alice said, and I could tell she wasn't really sure.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I was totally confused.

"Well, every once in a while I get a vision of him stopping and smelling the air around him," Alice explained. "It's almost as if he is tracking something, or someone."

"Who would he try to track?" I asked.

"I have no idea," Alice said, and then turned to Jasper. "Do you have any idea?"

"No," Jasper replied, and I could feel the frustration rolling off of him.

"Do you think Carlisle and Esme would know?" I asked while trying to fight off the frustration Jasper was still throwing at me.

"I don't…" Alice started to say "Jasper, enough with the frustration!"

"Sorry," Jasper said, and immediately felt the frustration disappear as it was replaced with the waves of calm Jasper was now sending out.

"As I was saying, I doubt if Carlisle and Esme would know, but it's worth a shot," Alice said.

"So, should we call them?" I asked.

"No, it would be better if we talk to them in person," Alice explained.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, mostly because they felt horrible about leaving you, and I know they would love to see you," Alice explained.

"Okay," I said, feeling a little guilty that Carlisle and Esme felt so bad.

"Bella, you have no reason to feel guilty. This was Edward's bad choice, not yours," Jasper said when he felt my guilt.

"I know it was Edward's choice, but I still feel guilty," I said, but I felt Jasper calm me down.

"Now you don't feel guilty," Jasper said with a smug smile, which caused me to childishly stick my tongue out at him.

Jasper and Alice both laughed before Alice went to grab her purse off the coffee table.

"Let's go," Alice said as she started walking towards the door.

"Shouldn't we tell everyone we are leaving?" I asked, not wanting to be impolite.

"I suppose," Alice said before yelling at the top of her lungs, "WE ARE LEAVING!"

"God, Alice, did you have to yell so loud? I am guessing you could have used your regular voice and they would have heard you," I said while trying to get the ringing to stop in my ears.

"Sorry, but that was more fun," Alice said, and I rolled my eyes.

Everyone in the Denali clan, except Laurent, was downstairs two seconds later to say good-bye to us, and I thanked them all for letting me stay. I also promised to keep in touch with Tanya before Jasper, Alice and I walked outside. I no sooner took a breath of the clean, crisp air, however, when I stopped immediately. Laurent and Victoria came running out of the woods.

"Bella, would this be what you didn't want to tell me before?" Alice whispered.

"Yes. I heard them talking in the woods, Victoria wants me dead and Laurent agreed to help," I whispered back.

"How did you not see this coming?" Jasper whispered to Alice.

"I was too busy looking at Edward's future," Alice whispered back.

"Well, it looks like this is going to be easier than I thought," Victoria said while looking at me menacingly.

"Think again," Alice said, as she and Jasper stood in front of me so I was blocked from Victoria's line of sight.

"You think that the two of you are going to stop the two of us?" Victoria asked, as if it was the craziest thing she had ever heard.

"Yes," replied Alice, and I saw her give Victoria a sweet smile, which caused Victoria to growl.

Alice and Jasper ran forward, and before I could blink, Jasper was fighting Laurent and Alice was fighting Victoria.

I closed my eyes because I couldn't bear to see Jasper or Alice get hurt. Plus, the blurring motions they were making as they fought were making me dizzy.

The fight continued around me as I kept my eyes tightly shut. If I had been smarter, I would have run into the house to get help, but I was frozen in fear. I did my best to block out the growling and groans that were going on, but it was no use. I heard everything that happened.

Finally, I heard a sound that I was expecting, yet dreading. The screeching sound of metal being ripped apart filled the air. It was the sound of a vampire being dismembered. As soon as I started to smell smoke, I cracked my eye to see who had won and who had lost.

I exhaled the breath I was holding when I saw Jasper throwing parts of Laurent into the flames.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and I nodded.

Jasper kept glancing towards the fight that was still going on, and I could tell he was worried about Alice. I was, too.

Just then the front door burst open, and everyone came running out. I heard Irina shriek as she saw what Jasper was doing.

"He was helping Victoria," Jasper explained. "I didn't have another choice."

Victoria heard the rest of the Denali clan joining Jasper and I, and she realized immediately that she was outnumbered. Before Alice could react, she ran at full speed back into the woods.

Alice came running over to us, and I was relieved to see she didn't have a scratch on her.

"We have to go," Alice said as she pulled me to the car that was sitting in the driveway.

I looked back at the Denali house as we pulled away, and saw the whole coven trying to comfort Irina as she sobbed by the flames that held Laurent's ashes. I felt horrible for Irina, but I knew there was no other choice.

I turned back around and was relieved we were finally on our way after our little delay. My relief turned to excitement as I realized I would soon see Esme and Carlisle again.

**AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	8. Carlisle and Esme

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Eight: Carlisle and Esme

It was silent in the car as we drove to the airport. Nobody wanted to talk about what had just happened at the Denali coven's house.

"Bella, are you okay?" Alice asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Yes, I am fine," I said truthfully. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yes, Bella, we are fine," Alice said with a roll of her eyes.

"Bella, we are vampires, remember? It takes a lot to hurt us," Jasper said while sending waves of calm in my direction.

"I know. I still worry about you both, though," I said. "You're my family, so isn't it right that I should worry about you?"

"Yes, of course. We just want you to know that you don't have to worry so much," Alice explained.

"I'll try, but I make no guarantees," I said with a smile.

"That's all we ask," Jasper said with a smile of his own.

"Do you think Irina will be ok?" I asked. I couldn't help but think about how much pain Irina must have been in when we left. You could see the depth of her grief in her expression, and it was something I wouldn't soon forget.

"I think eventually she will be okay," Alice said, and I could tell she felt bad for Irina, too. "She has her family to help her through this."

"She probably hates me, but I didn't have a choice. Laurent was going to hurt my little sister," Jasper said while looking at me in the rearview mirror.

"Thank you, both of you, for what you did," I said sincerely.

"Bella, you are our sister. We would do anything for you, you should know that by now," Alice said as she turned around in her seat to squeeze my hand.

I smiled and squeezed her hand in return as we pulled into the parking lot at the airport. Jasper parked the car and we all got out and started walking toward the front entrance.

"So where exactly have Esme and Carlisle been since you left?" I asked as I tried to keep up with the other two.

"In Salem, Oregon," Alice said. "The climate is similar to Forks, so of course we have a house there, too."

"Of course," I said sarcastically.

Jasper bought my ticket, even though I told him I had enough money to buy my own, and we started walking toward our terminal to wait for them to start boarding our plane.

"Bella, are you hungry?" Alice asked suddenly.

"A little," I admitted, and quickly realized I hadn't eaten in a while.

"Okay, let's go. This time I am taking you to get food while Jasper stays here," Alice said. I blushed as I thought about the last time the three of us had been in an airport together. Thinking that I was doing the right thing, I had snuck away from Jasper to go meet James.

"I really am sorry about that, you guys," I said.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't ever do it again," Alice said as she put her arm around my shoulder, and we went on our search for food. After we found a food court just a short distance away from our terminal, where I ordered a slice of pizza and a pop, we went to find Jasper again.

They started to board the flight just as we made it back to Jasper, so the three of us made our way onto the plane. Luckily we had three seats together. I sat by the window, Alice sat in the middle and Jasper sat on the aisle seat. The plane ride went by quickly and was rather uneventful, for which I was grateful. I felt like I had enough drama to last a lifetime, or in my case an eternity.

When we got off the plane Alice pulled out here cell phone and called for a cab.

"Can't Carlisle or Esme come and pick us up?" I asked Jasper as we waited for Alice to complete her call.

"Alice wants this to be a surprise," Jasper said with a smirk.

"I see," I said, and couldn't help but be a little excited at the thought of surprising Carlisle and Esme.

Alice finished her phone call, and when we finally made it outside a cab was waiting for us. As we got into the cab, I realized we hadn't retrieved my duffle bag from baggage claim.

"Alice we forgot my duffle bag," I said.

"No we didn't. I had the cab driver get it from the baggage claim for us," Alice explained.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

"No problem," Alice said as she looked out the window at the passing scenery.

Alice had surprised me with my duffle bag earlier today when she pulled it out of the trunk at the airport in Alaska. I was so grateful she had grabbed it, because it had everything that reminded me of Edward in it.

Twenty minutes later we pulled up to a big white house surrounded by trees, and I knew at once this was the Cullens' house, because it looked just like the one in Forks.

We all got out of the car, and Jasper paid and tipped the cab driver, who handed me my duffle bag from the trunk. We walked up the steps of the front porch and came to a halt in front of the door.

"Should we knock, or do you guys have a key?" I asked.

"We should knock," Alice decided after a minute, and she made a fist and pounded on the door.

A moment later the door swung open, and Esme was standing there with her mouth open in shock.

"Bella," Esme said when she finally found her voice.

"Hi Esme," I said with a smile.

Esme hurried forward and threw her arms around me in a tight, motherly hug, which I happily returned.

"What is going on down here?" Carlisle said as he came down the stairs.

"Bella's here," Esme explained, as she finally let me go.

Carlisle came forward and wrapped his arms around my shoulder in a fatherly gesture, and led me inside the house.

"It's good to see you, Bella," Carlisle said as we entered the living room.

"Hey, we're here too, you know." I heard Alice say behind me. "Isn't anybody happy to see us?"

"Of course we're happy you're here too, dear," Esme said, and I turned around to see them walking into the living room as well.

"So Bella, how did you find Alice and Jasper?" Carlisle asked once we were all seated.

"Well, I found the Denali coven in Alaska, and Alice and Jasper showed up there a few days later," I explained.

"What were you doing with the Denali coven?" Carlisle asked, both curious and confused.

"I was looking for Edward, because I realized that he left to protect me; not because he didn't love me, like he said," I continued to explain.

"Good for you," Esme said, and I could tell she was proud of me.

"Actually, we were hoping that you might know where Edward went," I said, getting down to business. "Did he tell you where he was going when he left?"

Esme and Carlisle looked at each other, and then turned back to me. I could tell by the looks on their faces that the answer was no.

**AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	9. Emmett and Rosalie

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Nine: Emmett and Rosalie

"Bella I am so sorry but we don't know where Edward is" Esme said confirming what I feared was true.

"Didn't he tell you where he was going when he left" Alice asked and I could tell she was upset too.

"No, he just said that he had some business to take care of and left" Carlisle explained.

"You have got to be kidding me" I said becoming frustrated beyond belief.

"Bella calm down we will find him" Jasper said while sending waves of calm my way.

"I'm sorry" I apologized "It's just every time I think I am getting close to finding Edward it turns into a dead end."

"I know but I promise we will do all we can to help you find him" Alice said and the rest of the Cullens nodded in agreement.

"Um this might be a stupid question but can we try calling his cell phone" I asked voicing a thought that had just occurred to me.

"We have been trying to get a hold of him but either his phone is dead or he just not answering because we have had no luck" Carlisle said and I nodded in understanding.

"We will keep trying" Esme said as she came to wrap her arms around me in attempt to comfort me "I promise."

"Thanks you" I replied before yawning.

"Bella you have had a long day you must be exhausted" Alice said and as soon she said it I realized how tired I really was.

"I am actually pretty tired" I admitted.

"Come with me dear" Esme said while leading me to the staircase "I will show you where the guestroom is."

"Actually do you mind if I stay in Edward's room" I asked sheepishly.

"Not at all" Esme said with a smile.

Esme lead me to the room at the end of the hall, opened the door and lead me inside Edward's room.

I gasped when I saw the room because it looked just like his room in Forks.

"This looks just like his other room" I said in wonder.

"I know most of Edward's rooms look like this because he is not a big fan of change" Esme explained.

"I know" I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Well good night dear" Esme said "If you need anything let us know."

"Thank you Esme" I replied.

"You are very welcome Bella" Esme said, and after giving me a final hug she left the room.

I went into the bathroom that was connected to this room, and quickly took a shower using my favorite strawberry shampoo that I luckily remembered to pack.

After I dressed in my sweat pants and Edward's t-shirt, I went back in the room, and discovered that someone had left some blankets on the black leather couch.

Before making my way to the couch I went to my duffle bag, and pulled out the CD I had found in my floor and popped into Edward's CD player.

As soon as my lullaby started to play me eyelids grew heavy, and I was asleep before the song ended.

I awoke some time later when I heard raised voices coming from down stairs; I glanced at the clock on a nearby table and saw that it was four in the morning.

I groaned and tried to go back to sleep but my curiosity got the best of me and I started to listen to the voices from downstairs.

"I want to see her" I heard a male voice say

"But she is asleep" Alice said "You can see her in the morning when she wakes up."

I rolled my eyes because I knew the male voice was Emmett and I knew he wouldn't quite down until he got what he wanted. I threw the blankets off, and made my way downstairs, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the bright lights.

"Hey" I said sleepily when I finally made it to the bottom of the stairs.

"Way to go Emmett you woke her up" Alice said while looking at me apologetically.

"I am sorry Bella but I was just so excited to see" Emmett and he came over and gave me a big bear hug.

"It's ok" I said when he put me down and I could breathe again.

I noticed Rosalie sitting on the couch looking as mad as ever, so I ignored her and turned back to Emmett who had an eyebrow raised.

"What" I asked feeling self conscious.

"What are you wearing" Emmett asked and I glanced down, and blushed when I realized I was wearing Edward's shirt.

"Edward's shirt" I said quietly.

"I think that's sweet" Alice said and I gave her a grateful smile.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes, before Alice suddenly froze and Jasper rushed to her side.

We all waited patiently while Alice had her vision; well we were all patient except Emmett who wouldn't sit still.

Finally Alice came out of her vision and looked at me, causing me to panic as I thought of all the bad things that could happen to me in the future.

"What did you see Alice" I asked trying to keep my voice calm.

"Edward" Alice answered and I couldn't tell if this was good or bad.

"What about him, is he ok" I asked letting my fear seep through.

"He is fine, he stopped running" Alice explained "The vision I had was of him in a rundown apartment."

"What was he doing" I asked and prayed he wasn't with another girl.

"He was laying on beat up couch looking pretty miserable" Alice said "He also had a picture of the two of you in his hand."

"Where was the apartment" I asked hoping that we finally had a lead.

"I don't know I only saw the inside, and the curtains were closed so I couldn't see anything outside" Alice explained.

"Ok he is officially the hardest person in the world to find" I said causing Emmett to laugh.

"How long do you think he will stay in that apartment Alice" Carlisle asked.

"I don't know exactly but I think a while" Alice answered.

"So if we could find out where he is, then we may have a chance of finding him before he moves again." Emmett said.

"Yeah except we don't have a clue as to where he might be" I said sadly.

"I think I may have an idea" Jasper said suddenly.

**AN: Sorry it took so long to update but there was a mix up between me and my beta so it took me longer to get this chapter back! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :)**


	10. Plan in Motion

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Ten: Plan in Motion

"What is your idea, Jazz?" Alice asked, and we all waited patiently for Jasper to answer.

"Well," Jasper began while pacing around the room, "if we can get Edward to answer his cell phone, I can trace the call, and we can find out where he is."

"How can we get Edward to answer his phone?" I asked as I started to get excited about Jasper's plan.

"Well, I think if Esme or Carlisle were to call him on one of their cell phones, he might pick up," Jasper explained.

"Do you think that if they were to call from this house he wouldn't answer because he wouldn't recognize the number?" Alice asked.

"Yes, but if they were to call from one of their cell phones he would recognize the number and answer the phone," Jasper said.

"The only people he would talk to right now would be Carlisle and Esme, so that's why you want them to be the ones to call, right?" I asked, as I figured out the rest of Jasper's plan.

"Right," Jasper agreed. "Bella, out of those two who would he most likely pick up the phone for?"

"Esme," I said, after thinking about it for minute. "He doesn't like to hurt her, so if she called him he would pick up to let her know he was okay, so she wouldn't worry."

"That's what I figured, but I wanted to be sure," Jasper said while throwing a smile in my direction.

"Why did you ask me, though?" I asked and I could tell he could feel my confusion.

"You know him better than anyone, Bella," Jasper said, and before I could open my mouth to protest he went on.

"Yes, we have known him longer, but you are in love with him and he is in love with you, so he tells you more then he tells us."

I just nodded in understanding because I didn't really know what to say to that.

"Okay, I will go get my computer. Esme, can you get your phone, please?" Jasper asked, and they both left the room. As soon as they were gone I turned to Emmett and asked him something that had been on my mind since he woke me up.

"What are you and Rose doing here, anyway?" I asked.

"Well, Esme called us and asked if we knew where Edward was," Emmett explained. "When I asked why, she said that you were with her and that you were looking for him."

"Oh," I said, even thought that didn't really answer my question.

"I wanted to see my favorite little human," Emmett said with a big smile as he reached over and patted my head. I was about to respond when Jasper and Esme came back into the room with the objects they had gone to retrieve.

"Okay, so if Edward answers, keep him talking until I signal that I have the information I need," Jasper explained, and Esme nodded in understanding.

"Bella, you have to be extremely quiet," Jasper said while turning to look at me. "If Edward figures out you are here, it might make things more difficult."

"I will be quiet, I promise," I said, and thought about how hard it would be to keep that promise.

"Good. Okay Esme, call him," Jasper instructed while setting up his computer.

Esme dialed her phone, and we all waited impatiently for Edward to answer. After a minute I began to give up hope, but then suddenly Esme smiled.

"Edward, I am glad you finally picked up the phone," she said in sweet, motherly way.

Alice mouthed the word speaker to Esme, and Esme nodded pushed a button on her phone. Edward's velvet voice filled the room.

"I want to be alone, I told you that," Edward said, and I could hear in his voice how depressed he really was.

"I know, but I am your mother and I worry about you," Esme said and I smiled.

"I am fine, you don't have worry," Edward said, even though he sounded far from fine.

"You don't sound fine," Esme said, voicing my thoughts.

"I meant physically I am fine," Edward explained.

Just as Esme was about to respond I got the over whelming urge to sneeze.

Alice saw what was about to happen, and looked at me in horror before pointing to the stairs. I nodded and ran up the stairs as quickly and quietly as I possibly could. Once I reached the top of the stairs, I sneezed and prayed that Edward couldn't hear it. When I came back downstairs, I noticed Esme was not on the phone anymore.

"Did he hear me sneeze?" I asked.

"No," Esme explained, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know where he is Bella," Jasper said, looking very proud of himself.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He is in Chicago," Jasper said. "Go get your stuff and we will head to the airport."

I did as I was told and went upstairs to pack my duffle bag. When I came downstairs I noticed Alice, Jasper, and Emmett by the door.

"Emmett, what are you doing?" I asked.

"I am going with you," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What? No, you need to stay with Rosalie," I said, looking at the angry blonde on the couch.

"No, I need to go and beat the living daylights out of my brother for doing this to you," Emmett said, and I gave up because I knew I couldn't stop Emmett. We said goodbye to the others and then raced to the airport to make the next flight to Chicago.

Once we were in the air and on our way to Chicago, I realized how sick of flying I really was. I decided that after I found Edward, I would stay on the ground for a while. The plane landed a few hours later, and since it was cloudy, the vampires decided they would rather run than rent a car.

"Climb up, Bella," Jasper said, and lowered himself on the ground so I could get on his back.

"Are you sure?" I asked, not wanting to test Jasper's control.

"Yes, Bella, I can handle this. Don't you trust me?" Jasper asked with a pout.

"Of course I do, I just wanted to make sure you trust yourself," I responded while climbing onto Jasper's back. Once I was situated, Jasper took off running. Before I knew it, we were in front of the building that Jasper had been able to track Edward's phone to.

We quickly ran up the stairs and through the hallways, until we came to a stop in front of a door with peeling red paint, and a rusty number 17 on it.

I raised my shaking fist to the door and knocked.

**AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	11. Disappointment

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Eleven: Disappointment

I knocked on the door and stood back to wait patiently for Edward to answer. When nothing happened after a few minutes, I knocked again.

With each passing minute of silence I became more and more depressed, until finally Emmett stormed passed me.

"That's it. I'm breaking down the door," Emmett said, and when he angled his shoulder towards the door I knew he was serious.

Emmett barely had to touch his shoulder to the door before it fell down, causing a loud thud to echo down the hallway. I knew before we even walked through the door that Edward was gone. I didn't feel the usual pull that I feel whenever I was around Edward, so I knew he wasn't there; yet I walked forward anyway.

I walked forward because part of me still hoped that he would be there, or at the very least that he had left a clue as to where he might have gone. After walking though the dingy rooms of the apartment, my suspicions were confirmed; Edward was not here. I felt a massive wave of emptiness and disappointment flow through me, causing me to fall to the floor.

"Bella, are you okay?" Alice asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I was sure he would be here," I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else.

"We all thought so, Bella," Jasper said, and I could feel the calm he was throwing at me. I didn't even try to fight it; instead, I welcomed it.

"He must have a made a split second decision to leave, because I didn't see anything," Alice said, and I could tell she was starting to blame herself.

"Alice, this isn't your fault," I said, while finally looking up to meet her eyes. "Please don't blame yourself."

"But Bella, if I had seen something, we could have caught him," Alice said.

"You said it yourself Alice, he made a split second decision," I said. "There would have been nothing for you to see."

"She's right, Alice," Jasper added.

"I suppose," Alice said, but I could tell she still blamed herself.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked, realizing we had no idea where to go from here.

"Well, first you are going to get some sleep, because I know you haven't had much lately," Jasper said while staring at me. I knew that the bags under my eyes made it clear that I was exhausted and needed rest.

"Fine," I agreed while grabbing my duffle bag that I had dropped by the door and heading for the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked, looking at me strangely.

"Changing - so I can go to sleep," I said, not quite understanding what the problem was.

"You don't think we are staying here, do you?" Alice asked, eyeing the place like it was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen.

"Oh, Alice, please?" I begged on the verge of tears. "I am tired and stressed to my breaking point. Don't make me move again tonight."

"Fine," Alice said, and I could tell she saw that I was going to lose it soon. "But we are going to hunt while you sleep so I don't have to stay in this place."

"Fine, whatever," I said over my shoulder as I walked to the bathroom.

Once I was in the bathroom, I moved as fast as humanly possible so I wouldn't have to stay in there any longer than necessary. After I brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, and ran a brush through my hair, I made my way back to the living room. Everyone had already gone hunting, so I threw my duffle bag next to the couch and flopped down.

As I looked around the room I tried to imagine Edward staying here, but I just couldn't. The ceiling had yellow water stains all over it, the carpet was dusty, the walls had cracks in them, and I could hear mice running around behind them. The only furniture in the room was the very couch I was lying on, which had cracks that were held together by duct tape. There was, however, one appealing thing about the couch; it still had a little bit of Edward's scent on it, which told me that he had in fact been here.

I was a little cold, but I didn't know how long the blanket on the back of the couch had been there, so I curled into a ball and fell asleep.

I dreamt of Edward that night. We were lying in our meadow, looking up at the stars. He had his arms around me, and he would smile at me and kiss me when I would look over at him. Our only other focus was looking at the stars shining bright in the ebony sky. It was a dream I never wanted to wake up from, and also a dream I knew I wanted to make come true.

I eventually did wake the next morning, with my desire to find Edward refueled.

I was surprised to see Alice, Jasper, and Emmett staring at me when I woke up from my beautiful dream.

"What?" I asked, and I could feel the blush on my cheeks from the attention.

"You were talking," Emmett said with a smirk, and I felt my blush heat up even more.

"What did I say?" I asked, even though I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Well, you said Edward's name a lot," Jasper said. "And you said that you loved him quite a few times."

"I think it was sweet," Alice said as I started to remember the parts of my dream when I told Edward I loved him.

"Anyway, we brought you breakfast," Alice said after a minute.

I gratefully took the donut and bottle of juice she offered me, because I was actually pretty hungry.

"Thanks," I said after I finished my food.

"No problem," they all said at the same time, which creeped me out a little bit.

"We were thinking about going back to Esme and Carlisle's," Jasper said, testing my emotions carefully.

"No," I said. "I am not giving up on Edward. I want to keep going."

"Are you sure, Bella?" Alice asked. "We don't know long it might take."

"I am sure," I said with certainty.

"Then we are not giving up, either," Emmet stated.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"We are sure," Alice said.

"Don't worry, Bella, we will find Edward," Jasper said, and for the first time in a while I actually believed it.

**AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REIVEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	12. Time Passes

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Twelve: Time Passes

Alice, Jasper, Emmett and I had been hunting for Edward for months now, and we were still no closer to finding him.

I knew that our progress had been slowed considerably because of my inconvenient human needs, which left me feeling frustrated. Our little hunting party had to stop every time I had to sleep or eat, and it annoyed me to no end. I tried to insist that I could sleep on one of their backs while they were running, and carry food around in my duffle bag so we wouldn't have to stop, but they wouldn't hear of it.

Every night Alice made us check into a hotel so I could sleep in comfort, and they would order room service for me so I could eat proper meals. What added to my frustration was that Alice always made sure we had the penthouse suite of any hotel we stayed in, which in my opinion was completely unnecessary. After a while, I learned that it did me no good to complain. They refused to listen, and insisted that it was the least they could do after everything Edward put me through.

Sleep wasn't the only reason we stayed in hotels, though. For one week each month we would stay in a hotel because it was too hard for one of them to carry me while I had my period. Apparently that blood is not as potent as the blood running through a human's veins, but it is still uncomfortable for them to be around. So, we would stay in hotel in two separate rooms. Emmett, Jasper and Alice all insisted that they could be in the same room with me, but I didn't want to take any chances. Plus, it embarrassed me to know that the smell was that obvious to them.

I used that time each month to call Charlie; of course I mean I would call the house when I knew he wasn't there and leave him a message. I was too nervous to actually talk to Charlie, but I figured I should let him know I was okay. My messages were always the same:

"Hey Dad, it's Bella. I am still looking for Edward, but I wanted let you know that I am okay. I will call you again when I can. Bye."

The messages were short and to the point, because I really didn't know what else to say to my father.

I was also a little worried about what was going to happen at school, because I had missed so much. If I found Edward soon, then I could finish the year and then make up what I missed in summer school, so I tried not to dwell on it.

Holidays also slowed us down a little bit, because Alice made us stop and celebrate them; I had a feeling she was hoping they might cheer me up, but they never really did.

Halloween was first, and she made us stop and carve pumpkins and leave them on people's doorsteps, which I thought was weird, and a waste of our time, but I didn't complain. Jasper and Emmett also bought me a big bag of candy, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I was very grateful Alice didn't make us do anything involving costumes.

Thanksgiving was next, and I was thankful they didn't make a big deal out of it. They bought me a turkey sandwich and made disgusted faces as I ate it, which I actually found pretty funny.

Christmas was nice, but I felt guilty for keeping Emmett away from Rosalie during that time. I begged Emmett to go home to Rose for Christmas, but he wouldn't do it. We spent Christmas at fancy hotel, and Alice dragged us to a nearby mall to buy presents for each other.

Since Jasper, Alice and Emmett had paid for everything on our journey, I actually had some money to spend on gifts for them. I bought Alice a friendship necklace – the kind that she keeps half and I keep half, because I knew she would get a kick out of it, and a gift card to her favorite store, Victoria's Secret. I got Emmett and Jasper video games and gift cards to their favorite stores; Spencer's for Emmett, and Barnes and Noble for Jasper.

My other present to them was that I didn't complain when I saw they had bought me presents as well. Alice got me some winter clothes, which I was grateful for. Of course she knew that I didn't have any winter clothes with me, and that my tolerance to weather was much different from theirs. Emmett bought me a gift card to Victoria's Secret so I would have something special to wear when I saw Edward again. When Emmett pointed out the purpose of his gift I turned five shades of red, and then tucked the gift card away. I was much happier with the gift card Jasper gave me because it was for Barnes and Noble.

New Year's Eve was uneventful. We stayed in our room and watch the ball drop on TV and then I went to sleep.

Valentine's Day was the most recent holiday we celebrated, and by we I mean Alice and Jasper. Alice and Jasper went out together while Emmett and I stayed in our most recent hotel and watched movies. It was nice spending time with Emmett, but I could tell he wished he was with Rosalie on Valentine's Day instead of me, and I felt guilty all over again.

The calendar soon read March, and we were somewhere in South America because Alice had had a vision of Edward coming there. We had been to so many places that I eventually stopped keeping track of where we were.

I was on Jasper's back as we ran through what I could only assume was a rainforest, when the three of them came to a sudden halt.

"Do you smell that?" Alice asked, and I could tell she was talking to the other two because I didn't smell anything.

"Yeah, what is that?" Jasper asked as he sniffed the air.

"I know what it is," Emmett said, and he looked nervous, which in turn made me nervous because nothing scared Emmett.

"What is it?" Jasper asked.

"Werewolf," Emmett answered.

**AN: Thank you to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	13. Unexpected Problem

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Thirteen: Unexpected Problem

As soon as Emmett said the word _werewolf_, we heard a twig snap behind us and we all turned around slowly.

Standing there was a giant russet colored wolf, and when I say giant, I mean giant. I am pretty sure I could only reach his stomach but I didn't want to get close enough to test that theory.

"Get behind us Bella," Jasper said, and I noticed he and Alice looked nervous. Emmett, of course, looked ready for a fight.

I did as I was told, and stood behind the three vampires, which for some strange reason seemed to irritate the wolf even more. As soon as I was safely hidden behind Alice, Jasper, and Emmett, the wolf started to growl fiercely.

"What do you want?" Alice asked, and as soon as she spoke the wolf looked directly at me.

"You can't have Bella," Emmett said. "We won't let you hurt her."

Apparently the wolf didn't like this, because his growling got louder and he started to snap his teeth at us. The wolf's menacing form and horrific growling got the better of me, and I started shaking in fear. When the wolf saw me shaking he stopped growling and tried to walk towards me, only to be stopped by my three guards.

Without warning, the wolf ran into the woods. I sighed in relief before tapping Alice on the shoulder.

"Alice, why are you guys so nervous?" I asked. "You could easily take him down, couldn't you?"

"Since there is only one, then yes, we probably could. But Bella, the only thing that can kill a vampire besides fire is a werewolf," Alice explained, and I nodded because I had suddenly lost my voice due to fear.

"Where did he go?" Emmett asked. "There is no way he just left."

As soon as the words left Emmett's mouth a teenage boy emerged from the very spot the wolf had just disappeared. I jumped when I realized that I recognized the boy before us.

"Jacob," I said still not entirely believing what I was seeing.

"Hi Bella," Jacob said, and I could instantly tell he was not the same friendly Jacob I remembered.

"You're a werewolf?" I asked, because I couldn't really think of anything else to say.

"Yes," Jacob answered. He threw a bitter glance in the Cullen's direction, but I chose to ignore it.

"Okay, but why are you here?" I asked, still trying to process everything that was happening.

"I was sent to find you," Jacob answered.

"Who sent you?" I asked, trying to figure out who would do such a thing.

"Your father, unintentionally," Jacob said while glaring at me.

"What?" I asked, trying to figure out how Charlie could unintentionally send someone to get me.

"Charlie is worried about you. You're all he thinks about these days, and it's driving him crazy," Jacob said, and I felt a twinge of guilt at the pain I was causing my father.

"I leave messages for him," I said, feebly defending myself.

"Yeah, short ones that don't really tell him much at all," Jacob responded.

"I still don't understand how that led to you being sent to find me," I replied.

"Well, Billy told Sam about how worried Charlie is, and Sam sent me to find you," Jacob explained.

"Who is Sam?" I asked.

"The Alpha of my wolf pack," Jacob said, and I noticed he looked angry at the mention of his wolf form.

"You don't like being wolf," I observed.

"That's not the point here," Jacob said as something else occurred to me.

"How did you find me?" I asked, thinking about all the places we had been and how hard it would have been to track me.

"I followed your scent," Jacob said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and if I was honest with myself, it was normal in my world.

"We have been everywhere, how the hell could you keep track of my scent?" I asked.

"Okay, so maybe it wasn't so much your scent I followed as it was your paper trail," Jacob said looking a little smug.

"My what?" I asked, a little bit outraged that he would do such a thing.

"Every time you stayed in a hotel or got a plane ticket, they used their credit cards, right?" Jake asked, looking at me like he was daring me to disagree.

"Right," I answered quietly.

"So, all I had to do was hack into their credit card accounts to find out where you were," Jacob finished.

I glanced at the Cullens and noticed how angry they were, and I had to admit I was pretty angry myself.

"Hacking is illegal," I pointed out, hoping to make Jake feel just a little bit guilty.

"I know, but I had to do what I could to find you," Jacob said, not sounding the least bit guilty.

"Well, I am sorry you went through all that trouble, but I am not coming with you," I said.

"Yes you are," Jacob said stubbornly.

"No, I am not," I said just as stubbornly. "I am not coming home until I find Edward."

"He left you, Bella. He doesn't care, so why do you?" Jacob asked.

"I know that he only left to protect me from himself, not because he doesn't love me," I explained. "So I have to find him and make things right again."

"Is there anything I can do to get you to come with me?" Jake asked, and I could tell he was starting to get desperate.

"Nope. I have come too far to give up now," I replied, and from the corner of my eye I saw Alice's eyes glaze over as she had a vision.

"What's with her?" Jake asked rudely while looking at Alice.

"She is having a vision of the future," I explained as Alice's eyes came back into focus.

"Bella, I had a vision of us going to an apartment in Rio, and Edward was there," Alice said excitedly.

"Really?" I asked, getting excited. "How do you know it was in Rio?"

"At the beginning of the vision, we were running through some sort of marketplace, and there was stuff that said Rio on it," Alice explained.

"Okay, well let's go," I said before turning to Jake.

"I am sorry Jake, but I have to go. Please tell Charlie I am fine and that I love him."

"Whatever, Bella," Jake said before disappearing into the trees.

As soon as Jake was gone I climbed onto Jasper's back, and we were on our way to Rio.

**AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	14. Found

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Fourteen: Found

I was lost in thought riding on Jasper's back as we ran towards Rio, and suddenly an idea occurred to me. It seemed simple enough, and yet nobody else had mentioned it.

"Hey, how come we didn't trace Edward the same way that Jacob traced us?" I asked.

"I tried," Jasper explained, "but Edward must be using cash to pay for everything. There have been no recent purchases on his credit cards."

"Oh, well at least you tried," I said.

After all of this time I had to admit that I was starting to feel frustrated with Edward for making himself so difficult to find. As we ran through the trees I noticed that the sun was starting to set, which was good because it had been a very sunny day, and the last thing we needed was three sparkling vampires running into Rio.

When we finally made it to Rio the sun was beneath the horizon, so we headed straight into town, but at a more human pace. We followed Alice until we came to the market place she saw in her vision; once we were there, Jasper helped me off of his back and we began to look around.

I noticed many stands set up, all with homemade items for sale, and many of the items did have the name "Rio" on them.

"Alice, where is his apartment?" I asked, after I had finished looking around.

"Um, over there," she said, pointing to a rundown building a little farther down the street.

"Do you think he's still there?" I asked, hoping this wouldn't turn out the same way everything else had.

"Yes, my vision has not changed. I still see you talking to him," Alice said confidently.

"Okay, then let's go," I said as I started to walk towards the old apartment building, and hopefully Edward.

When I reached the door I realized just how unsafe this building was; we were able to walk right in without being buzzed in by a tenant. I quickly stifled a giggle to myself. It wasn't like Edward couldn't handle any dangerous situation.

"Where is his apartment Alice?" Jasper asked once we were inside the building.

"I don't know exactly. We will just have to follow his scent," Alice said, and the three of them started sniffing the air.

I followed them up a staircase and down a hallway, until they came to a stop in front of a door at the end of the hall.

"So, this is it?" I asked, suddenly getting very nervous. My anxiety seemed ridiculous, though; I mean, it was just Edward I would be facing. It wasn't as if I hadn't been up against worse. I guess the thing that scared me the most was his rejection; what if I went through all this trouble and Edward really didn't want me?

I didn't have much time to ponder this, because Emmett started pounding on the door a second later. After a few minutes, my hope started to diminish.

However, just as I was about to give up, the door flew open.

Edward stood there looking as godlike as ever, and it took all my strength not to throw myself at him. As we stood there in silence waiting for someone to speak, I noticed how disheveled Edward looked. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled, and he looked truly miserable.

"Nice to see you again, Bro," Emmett said, effectively breaking the silence.

"What are you doing here?" Edward asked, and I could tell he couldn't see me because I was standing behind three vampires.

"Well, we are fixing your mistake," Jasper said as they moved to make me visible.

"Hi Edward," I said in a small voice.

"Bella," Edward gasped.

"Can we come in?" I asked, and Edward stepped aside so we could enter his apartment.

Once we were in the dingy little living room I dropped my duffle bag on the floor and turned to face Edward.

"You are a liar, Edward Cullen," I accused.

"What?" Edward asked, looking genuinely confused.

"That day in the woods, you told me you didn't love me. That was a lie," I said confidently, while praying I was right.

"You're right," Edward said quietly. "How did you know?"

"After all the times you've told me you love me, how could I not know you were lying?" I replied with a smile.

"That's true I guess, but what made you think I wasn't lying when I said I loved you?" Edward asked.

"I could see the love in your eyes whenever you said it," I explained.

"Well, you're right. I do love you. I love you so much that it's torn me apart over the past months," Edward said. Even though the torment he went through was obvious in his looks and his words, it made my heart soar to hear his admission.

"There was another reason I knew you were lying," I said.

"What would that reason be?" Edward asked, curious.

"I remembered you telling me that, if you could leave, it meant that you loved me more because you were willing to let me go to protect me," I explained.

"You remember that?" Edward asked, looking impressed.

"I remember everything you have ever said to me," I said looking deeply into his eyes. "Besides, it wasn't all that long ago."

"Bella, I am so sorry," Edward said, and I could tell he really was.

"I know," I said before launching myself into his arms.

Edward wrapped his arms tightly around me, and we held each other as if we were trying to fuse our bodies together. After a minute I looked up and pressed my lips to his, and he kissed me back passionately. We broke apart when Emmett rudely cleared his throat a minute later.

"As much as I hate to break up this love fest, I do have one question," Emmett said.

"Yes, Emmett?" Edward said, and I could tell he was upset that Emmett had disturbed us.

"What have you been up to? We have been chasing you all over the world," Emmett stated.

"I have been tracking Victoria," Edward explained.

"Have you been doing that since you left?" I asked. "Because if you have, then you need to stick to mind reading, because you might be the worst tracker ever."

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked.

"Victoria was in Alaska with us right after you left," I explained.

"What? Is she still there?" Edward asked, and I could tell he was upset that Victoria had been so close to me.

"I don't know," I replied.

"Why were you in Alaska?" Edward asked, and I could tell he was trying to figure out what had been going since he left.

"That was the first place I looked for you," I explained. "That's also where I met up with Alice and Jasper."

"Oh. So, what exactly have you gone through in the past couple of months?" Edward asked.

"It's a long story," I said. "Do you mind if I wait until we get home to tell you?"

"Of course not," Edward said. "We should leave in the morning, though, because it looks like you could use some sleep right now."

Feeling exhausted, I agreed and went into the bathroom to change. When I came out of the outdated and slightly grimy bathroom, Edward laughed at my choice of pajamas.

"That shirt looks good on you," Edward said as I went to lie down beside him on the couch.

"Thanks," I replied with a yawn.

I feel asleep quickly when Edward started humming my lullaby, and I dreamt peacefully about Edward and me together in our meadow. When I woke, Edward was gone and I started to panic, but Alice explained that he had gone hunting. She said he was reluctant to leave at first, but finally agreed once Jasper and Emmett told him that I wasn't allowed on his back otherwise.

By the time Edward returned we were all ready to go home. After a much needed hunting expedition, he looked much healthier and happier than when we found him the day before. After making sure nothing was left behind, I kissed him and climbed onto his back so we could leave. Luckily it was cloudy, so we were able to leave town without taking any extreme precautions.

As we ran out of town I smiled at the thought of seeing my family again, and prayed that our journey home would be smooth. I should have known I wasn't that lucky.

**AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	15. Another Delay

**I don't own Twilight!**

Chapter Fifteen: Another Delay

As I watched the trees fly by from my perch on Edward's back, I felt truly happy for the first time in months. I had accomplished what I had set out to do; I had found Edward, and now we were on our way home. It was like a dream come true.

"Bella," Edward said, effectively breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Yes?" I replied in a dreamy voice.

"Thank you," Edward stated, which confused me because I didn't know what he could be thanking me for.

"For what?" I asked.

"Having the courage to come and find me, to fix my mistake," Edward said. He really was grateful that I had found him.

"Edward, I would do anything for you and for us," I said, and I hoped he understood how much I was willing to do.

"I know," Edward said, and from his tone I could tell he did understand.

"Edward, I know you honestly believed that I could live a happy, normal life if the dangers of hanging around vampires weren't an issue for me, but please understand that I can't have a life worth living if I am not with you," I said.

"Bella, I was wrong, and I'll never be able to tell you how deeply I realize that now. We can talk more about that, if you want, after we get home and don't have an audience."

I looked around and noticed Alice and Emmett paying close attention to our conversation. Jasper politely kept his attention on the course ahead of us, but I knew he could hear every word. I kissed Edward's neck to let him know I agreed, and he grinned back at me.

"I love you," Edward said passionately.

"I love you, too," I said as I reached down to kiss his neck once more.

"Okay, enough with the mushy stuff," Emmett said from behind us.

"Sorry," Edward and I said at the same time, causing all five of us to laugh.

All of a sudden their laughter died, and Edward stopped running. I stayed on Edward's back as the other three came to stand beside us.

"What is going on?" I asked, hoping that something horrible, like Victoria catching up to us, hadn't happened.

"I think your werewolf friend is back, Bella," Jasper said.

"What?" Edward said, and I could tell that the thought of me having a werewolf for a friend horrified him.

"Do you remember Jacob Black?" I asked him, even though I knew he did.

"Yes," Edward said. "He is a werewolf?"

"Apparently so," I replied. "We ran in to him right before we found you; he was looking for me."

"Why was he looking for you?" Edward asked.

"To bring her home," a familiar voice said from behind me.

We all spun around and saw Jacob standing behind us, leaning casually against a tree.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked.

"I see you found your leech," Jacob said, totally ignoring my question.

Edward, Emmett, Alice and Jasper all growled at the word leech, and if I was as menacing as the four of them I probably would have growled too.

"Don't call him that, Jacob," I said angrily.

"Why not? That's what they are. They suck blood, and that is what a leech does," Jacob said with a smirk.

"No Jacob, they are not leeches. They are people, just like us," I said.

"Bella, they are just not normal," Jacob said.

"Right, because turning into a giant dog is as normal as it gets, right?" I said sarcastically, causing Emmett to snicker.

"Whatever," Jacob said, and I could tell I hit a sore spot.

"You didn't answer my question," I said "Why are you still here?"

"I have a job to do," Jacob said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I have to make sure you get home."

"Well, we are on our way home, so you don't have to worry," I said, hoping Jacob would leave.

"_I_ have to make sure you get home," Jacob said again, emphasizing the word I.

"You don't think I am going with you, do you?" I asked, because it sure seemed like that was what he thought.

"That is exactly what I think," Jacob said, and he walked forward and grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?" I asked while trying to pull my arm free. "Let go!"

"No, Bella. I was given a job, and I am going to complete it," Jacob said as he started to drag me along.

"Sam may have sent you on a mission, but it ends here. Bella is safe, and you need to let her go now," Edward said, and before I could blink he was standing in front of Jacob with Emmett, Jasper and Alice at his sides. Edward was obviously reading Jacob's mind as to why he was here.

"I don't think so," Jacob said as he tried to step around the four vampires who had crouched down and prepared to fight.

"There are four of us and one of you," Alice said. "Do you really think you can get past us?"

Just as Jacob was about to answer, Edward pulled me away from him at vampire speed, and the other vampires made a circle around Jacob.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked in a worried tone as I rubbed my arm.

"Yes, I'm fine," I said, and I held up my arm so Edward could examine it himself.

"Leave now, Jacob," I heard Emmett say, and I looked over and noticed that the three of them had started to move in a circle around Jacob.

"We don't want to hurt you, but we will if you don't leave peacefully," Alice said.

"Tell Sam that you found Bella, and that she is on her way home," Jasper said, and I could tell he was using his power to calm Jacob down.

"Fine," Jacob said, and I could tell he was angry. "But the only reason I am leaving peacefully is because I am outnumbered. If there were more wolves here, there would be a fight."

"Well there aren't, so you need to leave, " Emmett said.

With one last scowl in our direction Jacob took off into the woods, and a second later I heard a popping noise, indicating that Jacob had just become a wolf.

We were silent for a minute, and I could tell it was because none of knew what to say about what had just happened.

"Can we go home now?" I asked when I couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Of course, love," Edward said as he swept me up and placed me on his back.

We ran until we got to a small airport where we boarded a plane to New York. It was a small airport that only had flights to certain places in the USA.

Alice called Esme from the plane and told her that we were on our way home. Esme was thrilled and told us that Carlisle, Rosalie and herself would meet us in Forks.

Once we landed in New York, we ran to catch the connecting flight to Seattle. As I settle in, I realized how happy I was to be going home. I was excited to see Esme, Carlisle and Rose again. A wave of anxiety washed over me, however, as I realized that I would have to face Charlie when I got home, and my excitement turned to fear.

**AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	16. Home

**I don't own Twlight!**

Chapter Sixteen: Home

Once we stepped off the plane, my nerves hit me full force and I actually started to shake, which Edward of course noticed because he had his arm around me.

"Bella, love, are you alright?" Edward asked with concern.

"Yes, I am just nervous about facing Charlie," I admitted while resting my head on Edward's shoulder.

"Why?" Edward asked.

"Well, when I left I didn't talk to him face to face. I just left a note," I explained. "Also, I only called home when I knew he wouldn't be there, so I could let him know that I was fine without having to listen to him panic and try to convince me to come home."

"So what your saying is, you haven't talked to him in months," Edward said, and I could tell he wasn't pleased.

"That would be correct," I answered. "I knew if I talked to him it would be difficult for both of us."

"You are still as stubborn as always, aren't you?" Edward asked while looking at me with a crooked smile.

"Yep," I replied, just as he leaned down and kissed me.

"We get it - you love each other. Now could you move? I would like to see Rose sometime this year," Emmett said sarcastically from behind us. As soon as Emmett said this I noticed that Edward and I had indeed stopped walking, holding up the people behind us.

"Sorry," I muttered as we began to move again.

We made it to baggage claim, and Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie were there waiting for us. Emmett ran to Rose and they were soon full on making out in the middle of the airport. Esme and Carlisle came to greet the rest of us, because it didn't look like Emmett and Rose were going to stop anytime soon.

After the four of us hugged both Esme and Carlisle, and Esme scolded Edward, we got my duffle bag and made our way to the car.

The drive to the Cullen house was quiet, which didn't help distract me from my nerves. Once we arrived, Edward and I immediately got into the Volvo and he drove us to Charlie's house.

"Edward, you are going to be with me the whole time, right?" I asked, because I knew I would need him by my side.

"Yes, love," Edward said while grabbing my hand and rubbing soothing circles into it.

With Edward's crazy driving we made it there in about two seconds, and my heart sped up at the sight of my house and the cruiser in the driveway.

"Relax love, it will be okay," Edward said when he heard my heart racing.

I took a deep breath and took Edward's hand when he opened my door for me. I quietly opened the front door and Edward and I entered the house.

"Dad," I called out, and I heard the TV turn off and his footsteps as he made his way to us quickly.

"Bella, thank god! Are you all right?" Charlie asked as rushed in to the room and hugged me.

"Yes," I replied as I hugged him back. Charlie let me go and turned to glare at Edward and I could see his face turning purple.

"You get out of my house!" Charlie exploded when he noticed Edward standing there.

"Sir," Edward started to explain, but Charlie cut him off.

"You left my daughter, and she ran off to find you, and in doing so she could have been hurt or killed" Charlie said still fuming.

"I know, and," Edward tried again, but was once again cut off by Charlie.

"I haven't talked to her in months; just messages here and there, all because she was too busy finding you," Charlie said.

"Dad, I purposely called when I knew you wouldn't be home so I wouldn't have to talk to you," I explained, hoping it would take some of the blame off of Edward.

"What? Why?" my dad asked while turning to glare at me.

"I knew you would try to make me come home, and I couldn't do that until I found Edward," I said.

"Well, you found him. It doesn't matter, though, because you are never going to see him again," Charlie said, causing rage to build quickly inside of me.

"What?" I screamed. "You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will," Charlie said with authority.

"Dad, I am eighteen. You can't tell me who I can and can't see," I said as I lost some of my rage.

"As long as you live under my roof I can," Charlie said.

"Fine, then I will just have to move out," I replied.

"Bella, you don't have a job or money. Where would you live?" Charlie asked.

"With me," Edward answered, which caused Charlie to turn red again. "My family and I would love to have Bella live with us."

"Bells, you can't leave," Charlie said in a defeated voice, and I could tell he really didn't want to lose me.

"I won't, if you let me see Edward," I said.

"Fine. But there will be rules," Charlie said, and I nodded.

"I am going to leave so that you two can talk," Edward said. I kissed him goodbye and he whispered in my ear that he would back later.

Later that night, after hours of talking to Charlie, I crawled into bed and Edward wrapped his arms around me.

"Love, I have to say I didn't know you had that much rage in you," Edward said with a smirk, referring to my earlier outburst.

"Honestly, neither did I," I said, and we both chuckled before I pressed my lips to Edward's.

Once we came up for air – correction, when _I_ came up for air, I explained to Edward the new visiting hours Charlie had put in place for him.

"Well, maybe I should go then, because visiting hours are over," Edward said playfully.

"Don't you dare," I said while wrapping my arms tighter around him. We were quiet for a few minute before I brought up a subject I couldn't put off any longer.

"Edward, we have to talk about Victoria," I said, and he nodded.

"Why exactly is she after you, Bella?" Edward asked.

"Well, since you killed James, she wants to kill me," I explained.

"Mate for mate," Edward said, after quickly putting the pieces together.

"Right," I said.

"Well, we will talk to my family about it to tomorrow," Edward said.

"Okay" I replied.

"Bella, I want you to know that whatever happens, we will face it together," Edward said.

"Promise?" I asked.

"I promise," Edward replied as he brought is lips to down to meet mine in a passionate kiss.

"I love you, Edward," I said when we pulled apart.

"I love you too, my Bella," Edward said before he started to hum my lullaby.

As I drifted off to sleep, I realized I could face anything that came my way because I had my Edward back, and that was all that mattered.

The End

**AN: So this was the last chapter you guys! I really hope you enjoyed my story. Thank you to my beta fnmom68 for all the amazing work you did on this story! Thank you also to all of you that reviewed especialy those of you who reviewed every chapter it means so much to me! I will be starting a new story soon and will post a note on this story when I get the first chapter up! Thanks again to everyone! :)**


	17. New Story

**Hey!**

**Ok so first of all I want to apologize to those of you who didn't like the way I ended this story. I wanted to end it there so Eclipse could pick up where I left off. Second, I wanted to let you guys know that my new story is up and it is called Second Chance. Edward leaves, Victoria changes Bella, Bella and Edward meet again years later and get a second chance at love. I know this has been done a million times but I wanted to give it a try. I am going to stop rambling now so you can go read **

**I hope you enjoy the story!**

**KACULLEN **


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